This invention relates generally to the monitoring of measured parameters, and more particularly to methods and systems for monitoring and diagnosing machinery.
At least some known monitoring systems, monitor machine drivers, for example, motors and turbines, or machine driven components, such as, pumps, compressors, and fans. Other known monitoring systems monitor process parameters of a process, for example, piping systems. Such monitoring systems may operate independent of or may be integrated through, a distributed control system (DCS). The DCS may permit a user to create various combinations of parameters to perform analysis functions. However, within known distributed control systems, these combinations and analysis functions are specific to the DCS platform they are executing on, and as such, generally are not usable to monitor a plurality of machines or on other DCS systems without significant editing of software code.
Creating and/or editing complex analysis functions may be a time-consuming process that requires considerable expertise. For example, an applications engineer may have the knowledge to use analysis functions to detect many types of machine conditions and malfunctions, but may not have the technical expertise needed to translate the knowledge into computer readable code. Additionally, the expertise of the applications engineer may have been acquired as the result of many years of training and experience in a wide variety of situations. This training and experience may be a valuable intellectual property resource to the applications engineer and his employer, intellectual property that the applications engineer and his employer would like to capture and market to customers. At least some known DCS only permit programming in environments that are only mildly protected from access. In such DCS, the intellectual property embodied in the programming of monitoring, analysis, and control functions of the DCS is not protected from unauthorized use and may be copied, edited, and used in other systems or for other machines on the same system. Moreover, using code that is applicable to one machine may require significant editing to allow its use for other machines being monitored by the DCS.
Typically, as more features and functionality are added to software applications, the complexity of configuring and setting properties that controls the execution of the application increases, especially in applications designed in a modular scheme. However, such configuration and property settings may only be available to the user through a confusing assortment of mechanisms, such as right-click menus and property pages buried within other property pages.